Photo Friday! Butterflies

You know when how it felt when you were young and you find that boy across the room looking in your direction and you think "Hey he's looking at me..." and your tummy goes all funny and you blush and feel extra pretty for the rest of the day... Butterflies right!!

Well I'm not talking about those butterflies...

OK so looking at this photo gives me butterflies that just make me want to smile and look at the world a little differently...

Happy Friday!

Tell the Truth Thurday! Changes....

Ok just the tittle of this post scares me....

And also reminds me of this

Crazy I know...


Anyway the changes that I am talking about are mostly blog changes... things have changed so much in my life in the last 2 years... (yep I'm just shy of my 2nd blogging year!) Our family has been changed from career loss, moving, adding baby #2, losing a very special family member, and lets face it just growing as a person and as a Momma...

Things have changed so much and yet I have just let the blog sit here in my corner of the blog-o-sphere and rot... well OK rot is a bit strong... I have been neglecting the blog and I keep coming back and giving lame excuses as to why I haven't been blogging and well I seem to have come to a conclusion that I need this blog, I need this space for me and that I need to change it up a bit because well I keep losing interest and if I'm not interested well how can you be interested??

So from here on out I am going to change up how this whole blog is going to work I am not going to be forcing myself to post a recipe every single Monday I am not going to be forcing a photo every Friday and if I just want to sit here and type well... I'm gonna!

I have been feeling very forced lately and while I want to post I feel that the blog is limiting me to crafts and food and well I'm more than that just like all of you. I will be working on a new "schedule" if you will over the next week or two that will include a few features, a few kids activities, a few recipes, a craft or two and maybe even a book review/post here and there too! (yes I've been reading!)

So if you will please rejoin me as I start to blog again and get back to the ideas that started this little place I call mine!

Make It Monday! Chili Mac and Cheese!

So if you know me and I'd like to think that if you follow the blog you do know me... You know that I love cooking shows and shows that involve food... anyway I like Emerile lagasse and I know that a few years back he made an appearance on a particular show that was one of my guilty pleasures... on said show he made a recipe with the family called Chilli Mac and when I recently discovered that this show was on Netflix and I re-watched the entire show yes from season 1 right on through I remembered this recipe and when I heard Chilli Mac I thought wouldn't that be better as Chilli Mac and Cheese???

(PS can you name that show? 10 points if you can! haha)

And so My Chili Mac and cheese was born!

Here is the recipe... its easy....

Make your favorite Mac and cheese and also your favorite chili...

Here are my favorite recipes.

Creamy Mac and Cheese
2 TBSP Butter and flour
2 Cups Milk (at room temp)
2 Cups Cheese
1 TSP mustard
3 Cups cooked Macaroni

Start by making a rue with the butter and flour (melt the butter in a sauce pan and add the flour) cook the rue for a few minutes but don't let it brown too much. Add your milk and cook over medium heat until the mix thickens and can coat the back of a spoon. Add the mustard and then melt in 1 and 1/2 cups of the cheese (or as much as you like) once the cheese is completely melted add the macaroni and mix through.

Mild Marsh Chili
(There are no measurements for this recipe as you can make it as saucy or meaty as you like and of course you can make a batch that is as large or small as you need!)
Ground beef or chicken (turkey works well too)
Onion
Mushroom
Carrots (cooked and pureed)
Diced tomatoes
Tomato sauce
Chili powder, thyme, oregano, basil

Brown ground beef or other ground meat. Meanwhile cook carrots in a med pot, once cooked puree and set aside. Once the meat is cooked add mushrooms, onions, carrot puree and can tomatoes. Allow the mix to simmer and then add tomato sauce and spices to your taste. Simmer and serve. As with all Chili and tomato sauce the longer it simmers the better it is!

Now that you have that all done!

Layer your mac and cheese in the bottom of a pyrex dish, top with chili and then one more layer of the mac and cheese, top with cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. (The above recipe for Mac and cheese will have more than you need for the Chili Mac and Cheese so I make a dish of just Mac and cheese too... just top it with more cheese and pop in the oven!)

It comes out a little spicy, very cheesy and super tasty!

My whole family loves it! And I love that there are lots of left overs for quick lunches, plus there is also lots of options for supper chili, chili mac and cheese or just mac and cheese...

Hope you enjoy! Do you ever dream up a recipe from hearing about another? Tell me about it I'd love to give it a try just leave a link in the comments!

Happy Monday!